34th Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival

By Jim Mikula, President/CEO

The first Food and Wine Festival here in Fredericksburg was held in 1991. It was created by Bob Oberhelman of Bell Mountain Winery, which was among the earliest, if not the first winery in Gillespie County since the 19th century when a few wineries were in operation. In 1986, Bell Mountain became the first AVA (American Viticultural Area) in Texas.

Unfortunately, Bell Mountain Winery is no longer in operation. However, Mr. Oberhelman’s legacy continues with the 34th Fredericksburg Food and Wine Festival this weekend, and the Chamber has the honor of producing this event.

The historical backbone of Gillespie County’s economy is agriculture and ranching. Today, this sector continues to be the largest contributor to our economy. Ranchers continue to raise and sell livestock providing opportunities for businesses supporting this sector to thrive. The agriculture sector is also strong with peach orchards, pecans, grains, and hay production throughout the county.

Bob and Evelyn Oberhelman planted their vineyards in 1976 and opened the winery in 1983. Today, Gillespie County is home to 78 wineries, and nearly 50 of them have opened since 2010. The wineries contribute to three economic sectors: agriculture, production, and tourism. Gillespie County is a significant contributor to the statewide wine industry which has an overall impact of over $20 billion to the Texas economy.

Tourism is also a significant contributor to our economy. When I first came to Fredericksburg, a dozen or so years ago, tourism was driven primarily by the picturesque hill country including Enchanted Rock, the town’s German roots, and historic Main Street. The tourism growth in recent years certainly appears to correlate with the growth of wineries and continued improvement in the quality of wines being produced, as evidenced by the growing number of award-winning wines in recent years.

The common thread through the ranchers, farmers, vineyards, wineries, retail shops, and restaurants is that most of our businesses are small or micro businesses. That is not much different than the first farmers and ranchers who originally settled in Gillespie County. To honor this tradition, the Fredericksburg Food and Wine Festival only features hill country wineries, breweries, distilleries, and restaurants/chefs. We purposefully keep national brands and distributors out of the festival. We do this to honor our heritage of pioneers, entrepreneurs, and risk takers.

Please join us this weekend for the 34th Fredericksburg Food and Wine Festival – the entry ticket covers all food and beverage you will enjoy at Markplatz. And, when you are sampling some fine hill country wine, raise your glass to say thank you to Mr. Oberhellman! Zum Wohl Y’All!